The title of the podcast refers to Cesar's favorite row in the cinema: from the fifth row ('op de vijfde rij') you are close to the action, but you also have an overview of what is happening around you. Op de vijfde rij... is therefore not about the latest film news, but about (largely) timeless stories. Contemplative, investigative and surprising.
In episodes of 20 to 30 minutes, Cesar tells one or two special film stories, from the genesis of a classic and the oeuvre of a maker to the essence of a film festival. He starts each episode with a question and searches for an answer through interviews, reports and archive fragments. This way he takes you to the place where it happens, like the heart of the film market in Cannes. He makes a series of 1 to 4 episodes 3 to 4 times a year.
Op de vijfde rij...
In the podcast series Op de vijfde rij... (From the Fifth Row...), journalist Cesar Majorana tells beautiful and special stories of film from the past and present. The podcast is a collaboration between VPRO Cinema and Eye Filmmuseum.
Op de vijfde rij at the Dutch film archives
Thousands of film reels are stored in the Dutch film archive of Eye Filmmuseum, waiting to be archived and restored. But the profession of film restorer is threatened with extinction: knowledge of all kinds of old techniques is in danger of being lost.
In this episode, Cesar Majorana follows the restoration of Gebroken spiegels (Broken Mirrors) (1984), a feminist classic about sex workers and the second feature film by the later Oscar winner Marleen Gorris, to investigate what such a resurrection of a film entails.
The restoration takes Cesar to a secret bunker, the office of one of the most important producers in Dutch film history, and a grey industrial estate in Waddinxveen, where restorer Jan Scholten spends days in the dark to polish the footage of Broken Mirrors. What makes his work so indispensable? And why should we all watch this 1984 film again?
The digital restoration of Broken Mirrors can be watched at home via the Eye Film Player.
All series
Op de vijfde rij...
...at the Dutch film archives
What has become of De Fantasten, three young filmmakers who wrote a manifesto in 1999 to end the 'dictatorship of realism' in Dutch cinema?
...in the world of scam festivals
The shady world of scam festivals: film festivals that don't really exist, and are only out to extort as much money as possible from unsuspecting filmmakers.
...in Cannes (2022)
How do you grab the spotlight at the largest film festival in the world? How do you, as a young Dutch filmmaker, make your dreams come true, in the midst of gigantic competition?
...at De Fantasten
What has become of De Fantasten, three young filmmakers who wrote a manifesto in 1999 to end the 'dictatorship of realism' in Dutch cinema?
...at Die Hard
Cesar Majorana joins the discussion about action classic Die Hard: is it a Christmas film or not? And why is that even important?
...in Cannes (2021)
The largest and most important film festival on earth. For film lovers who have never been to Cannes, but who are very curious about how it works.
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The creators
The podcast Op de vijfde rij... is a collaboration between VPRO Cinema and Eye Filmmuseum.
Presenter/interviewer
Cesar Majorana
Researcher
Jelle Schot
Editor
Frithjof Kalf
Researchers Eye Filmmuseum
Ronald Simons and Anna Meijer
Music
Julius Jongsma
Artwork
Aafke Bouman
Producer
Joyce Feijen
Client
Tibor Dekker (VPRO Cinema), Mila Schlingemann and Lisette Ruijtenberg (Eye Filmmuseum)
A collaboration of
